By Moustafa Youssef
Arab League Secretary-General Nabil al-Arabi has condemned a deadly blast that ripped through Beirut's southern suburb on Thursday.
"This criminal act is part of a series of terrorist bombings that aim to undermine peace and spark strife in Lebanon," al-Arabi said in a statement.
He reiterated "the Arab League's solidarity with Lebanon in facing such criminal acts".
At least five people were killed and 70 others injured in a car bomb explosion in Beirut's southern suburb on Thursday.
The blast took place between the densely-populated areas of Bir al-Abed and Haret Hreik in the southern suburb, considered a stronghold of the Shiite militant group Hezbollah.
Thursday's attack is the third to hit the Hezbollah stronghold since August.
A car bombing killed 27 people and injured hundreds more in the predominantly Shiite area of south Beirut in August.
Three months later, at least 32 people, including the Iranian cultural attaché, were killed and dozens injured in twin bombings targeting the Iranian embassy in southern Beirut.
The Thursday attack came also a few days after a deadly blast struck Beirut, killing at least six people, including former finance minister Mohammad Chatah – a Sunni Muslim who served as political adviser to ex-premier Saad Hariri.
Military involvement by Hezbollah and Iran in Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's ongoing military conflict with armed rebel groups in Syria has drawn condemnation from Sunni-Muslim quarters both inside and outside Lebanon.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
